The "Mission Accomplished" speech

What did Bush actually say on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln in that famous speech four years ago today?

Well, he never actually said "mission accomplished." That phrase was in the original draft of the speech, but was removed in subsequent edits and was not part of the final speech.

The idea for the "Mission Accomplished" banner came from the crew of the aircraft carrier to celebrate that their mission had been accomplished. (At the time they were approaching port in San Diego from completion of their combat tour in the Persian Gulf.) He did say that "major combat operations have ended," which is true -- it's all been smaller-unit actions since. (Which is harder, not easier, as has been clearly shown.)

Here's more of what he did say:

Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country...

We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We're bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous. We're pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime, who will be held to account for their crimes. We've begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigated. We're helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself, instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people.

See the full text of the speech. Also see additional background from Captain's Quarters blog.